Just Back!

UPDATE: This post was penned in the Spring of 2011 following our visit to Syria in March. We had no idea the direction the conflict would take. When we planned our trip Syria had been undergoing an opening up to tourism. Yes, there were protests while we were there but it seemed like the beginning of an Arab Spring. We naively hoped it might be a positive transformation rather than a descent into chaos.We're just back from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan and had a wonderful time. Yes, for those of you who were worried, our tour of Middle Eastern revolution has come to a safe end. In fact we felt safe and I'd recommend traveling in the region to everyone. I'm going to be writing lots of posts on what we've seen and learnt. We visited historical cities, crusader castles, coastal villages, Roman ruins and atmospheric souks. We experienced great hospitality and will always remember the open generosity of those we met.

The Favorite Person and Abdul at Apamea.

But before I write about the food, the places, the people and the history I want to thank the wonderful Abdul Ibrahim. Our driver and informal guide in Syria, Abdul helped translate and bridge the cultural differences.

Because he lived in the U.S. for years, Abdul's English is fluent, he understands a Western sensibility and appreciates what visitors are looking for. His care and warmth opened up the experience for us, he helped us better appreciate and understand the places we visited and the people we met.

I found Abdul through recommendations on the internet and booked him for the days he had available, next time we'll book further in advance so we secure all the dates we need! Without Abdul's encouragement we would have missed Beirut and Baalbeck, both of which were highlights. His input shaped our trip and he gave us guidance and assistance on where to stay and how to best arrange our overall itinerary.

At Krak de Chevalier.

Overlooking Saladin's castle at sunset.

When the political situation became a little tense he discussed our options with us, organized a car and driver to pick us up and called us constantly to check that everything was alright. The whole experience was like having an amusing, flexible, intelligent and insightful friend in Syria, we can't recommend him highly enough.